Dehradun: According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018 conducted by NGO Pratham, 52% of class VIII students in the state’s village schools can’t do basic maths while 16% of them can’t even read texts of II standard.The report that surveyed 10,157 students from 383 villages of the state across 13 districts points to the worrying fact that the students’ performance has become worse over the years. According to the survey, 57.4% of students of Class VIII were able to solve similar mathematical problems in 2012. The number is significantly low for government schools where only 26.7% of students of Class VIII could do simple maths.Similarly, in Class V, 36% students could not read Class II text while only 38% were able to solve maths problems. In fact, just 23% of the students were able to solve two-digit subtractions. The number, however, surprisingly is higher than students of Class VIII where only 21% of them were able to solve two-digit subtractions.Seema Jaunsari, director of academic research and training in the state education department blamed the no-detention policy for the dismal performance of students. “The policy mentions that no student should be failed and that’s why students who do not even know basics get promoted,” she said.She added that the education department is organising monthly tests and has taken other measures to improve their performance. “We are conducting monthly test and students are getting better. While last year only 33% could pass the test, this year 54% qualified. English speaking sessions are also being organised,” she said.While the state’s performance is better than the national average (56% of students in the country cannot do basic maths), it is far lower compared to other Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh where 61% students of class VIII were able to solve division problems and 90% were able to read.

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